Dirty Tackle

Mario Balotelli reportedly spent £800 following a taxi from Manchester to London

There's so much myth and falsified legend in Mario Balotelli's public persona that it's near impossible to distinguish the truth any more, but the Sunday Mirror are purporting that the Italian has slain the dragon named common sense once again.

According to the British tabloid, Super Mario's agent Mino Raiola told a Dutch magazine that hired a taxi for the 200-mile trip from Manchester to London. Instead of riding in the cab, however, the City striker followed it down to the English capital in his own sports car, at a cost of £400 each way. The Mirror reports:

Balotelli recently arranged to meet his agent Mino Raiola at the ­London home of Fulham manager Martin Jol as Raiola looks after both men.

Jol saw a cab pull up outside, but Balotelli didn't climb out. He arrived behind the taxi, driving one of his cars — an £80,000 ­Maserati GT.

Aside from the lack of corroborating quotes from Balotelli, Raiola or the driver, this alleged incident raises many questions. Why would Balotelli simply not ride in the taxi and leave his car at home? Why would he not use the GPS that is built into the dash of the extremely opulent Maserati GranTurismo? Is it that really hard to navigate the two well-signed roads that link London and Manchester? Why wouldn't Mino Raiola earn his 15% by making the trip up north to see his star client instead?

We could ask questions about the farce of it all day, but frankly, there is only one answer: this is Mario Balotelli.